Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatuses such as video tape recorders have been developed in diversified patterns for a long time, and, at present, they can be found in every hone. That is, they are felt as if they are necessary goods, and the demands for them are still increasing.
The magnetic recording and reproducing apparatuses which are currently used at homes are mostly based on VHS (video home system) using a 1/2-inch tape cassette. Such a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus includes: a cassette holder for receiving a tape cassette; driving members for pulling the cassette holder into the apparatus to place it on a main deck; a means for loading or unloading the magnetic tape of the tape cassette to and from a rotating drum installed on the main deck; and a means for guiding the magnetic tape along a certain path.
Thus, if the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette holder, this insertion state is sensed, and the tape cassette is placed on the main deck. In this state, the magnetic tape is loaded into the fast rotating drum by pole bases, so that signals can be recorded on the magnetic tape or the signals recorded on the magnetic tape can be reproduced.
Recently, video cameras which utilize the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus are becoming compact and light weight for the convenience of users. Conforming to this trend, video cameras using the existing 8 mm tape cassette are widely known.
One of the most important factors for the miniaturization and light weight of the product is the size of the deck. That is, the compactness and light weightness of the product are decided, according as how much the size of the deck is reduced. Therefore, the degree of the reduction of the deck size is the measure of the technical level, for which magnetic recording and reproducing apparatuses of various types based on various methods are being developed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-211863 discloses a recording and reproducing apparatus which includes: a supply reel and a take-up reel; a driving board having a capstan and pinch rollers; a drum board having a rotating drum; guide means for guiding the driving board and the drum board in a sliding manner; a tape loading means for passing the tape around the rotating drum during the sliding of the driving board and the drum board; and a pinch roller accessing means for accessing the pinch roller to the capstan, thereby making the size of the deck compact and light weight. This recording and reproducing apparatus uses the 8 mm tape cassette, in which the hubs of the supply reel and the take-up reel are fixed, thereby contributing to the miniaturization of the deck size to a certain degree. However, there is a limitation in reducing the size of the deck.
In an attempt to reduce the deck size to the maximum and to simplify the components, the present inventors disclosed a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus in their Korean Patent Application No. 93-5016. According to this apparatus, during the loading of the tape cassette, the hubs of the tape cassette are pivoted around certain axes, and the rotating drum is completely received into the tape cassette, thereby miniaturizing the size of the deck to the maximum degree. This apparatus will be briefly described below.
Referring to FIG. 1, an eject lever 10 is integrally formed with a pair of backwardly extended arms 12, and the arms 12 are connected through shafts 16 to a pair of brackets 14 which are uprightly provided within the body of the apparatus (not shown). Thus, the eject lever 10 opens and closes up and down itself around the shafts 16. A locking pin 17 is provided on the front of the eject lever 10, and when performing an ejecting operation, the locking pin 17 is released so that the eject lever 10 should be exposed to the outside of the apparatus with a certain angle, thereby making it possible to insert or eject a tape cassette 20 to and from the apparatus.
A pin 18 is formed on a side of the arm 12 of the eject lever 10, and this pin 18 is inserted into an elongated slot 34 of a bracket 32 which is uprightly provided on a side of an upper chassis 30, so that the upper chassis 30 can vertically move up and down during the pivoting of the elect lever 10 up and down.
Above the upper chassis 30, there is installed a slider 40 for moving the tape cassette 20 in the horizontal direction forwardly and backwardly. A cassette holder 50 is connected through a shaft 42 to the end of the slider 40, and a projection 54 is extended by a pin 43 to be inserted into an elongated slot 41 of the slider 40.
Thus, the cassette holder 50 can be pivoted around a shaft 51, so that the tape cassette 20 can be inserted or ejected.
At a side of the cassette holder 50, there is installed a lead opening member 52 which pivots up and down around a shaft 51, and which is provided with an elongated slot 53 at approximately the middle portion thereof, so that a pin 54 of the cassette holder 50 can be fitted into the slot 53 to guide the member 52.
The middle portion of the lead opening member 52 is connected to the slider 40 by a link 44 which is inclined with a certain angle, while the link 42 is connected with the link 44 through an elastic member 45. Therefore, when the cassette holder 50 is settled on the slider 40, the lead opening member 52 is pivoted around the shaft 51, so that a lead 22 of the tape cassette 20 can be opened.
Meanwhile, reel bases 46 and 47 are installed on the slider 40, and reels 48 and 49 are installed on the reel bases 46 and 47, so that the hubs (not shown) of the tape cassette can be guided. The slider 40 is movable forwardly and backwardly in the horizontal direction by a slider moving mechanism (not shown) which is installed on the upper chassis 30.
Below the upper chassis 30, there is installed a lower chassis 60 on which respective running components for driving the magnetic tape (not shown) within the tape cassette 20 are installed.
At the sides of the upper chassis 30 and the lower chassis 60, there are installed a pair of links 61 and 62 based on the principle of the Scott Russell link mechanism in a mutually crossing form, which are connected through a pair of end pins 63 to the lower chassis 60, while an elastic member 65 is installed to a central pin 64 of the links 61 and 62. Owing to the scissors-like movements of the links 61 and 62, the upper chassis 30 can vertically move up and down.
In such a conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus constituted as above, if the tape cassette 20 is inserted into the partly exposed cassette holder 50, and if the cassette holder 50 is closed by pressing it, then the cassette holder 50 pivots around the shaft 52 to be settled on the slider 40.
Then, the hubs of the tape cassette 20 are guided by the reels 48 and 49 which are installed on the slider 40. The lead opening member 52 which is provided at a side of the cassette holder 50 pivots clockwise around the shaft 51, so that the lead 22 of the tape cassette 20 should be opened.
Under this condition, if the slider 40 is pushed toward the upper chassis 30, then the slider moving mechanism (not shown) which is installed on the upper chassis 30 horizontally moves the slider 40 toward the upper chassis 30, thereby completing the movement of the slider 40 relative to the upper chassis 30.
However, as shown in FIG. 2A, if a user pushes the slider 40 toward the rotating drum 36 in a state with the tape cassette 20 settled on the slider 40, then the slider 40 moves from above the upper chassis 30 to the rotating drum 36 as described above. Under this condition, the magnetic tape 24 within the tape cassette 20 contacts with the rotating drum 36, and released from the hub 26 of the tape cassette 20, so that a state as shown in FIG. 2B is maintained.
Under the state of FIG. 2B, if the user closes the eject lever 10 by pressing it, the locking pin 17 which is formed at the front thereof is locked to the locking member (not shown) which is formed on the lower chassis 60. During the descending of the eject lever 10, the pin 18 which is provided on a side of the eject lever 10 moves along the elongated slot 34 which is formed on the bracket 32 of the upper chassis 30, with the result that the upper chassis 30 comes down to above the lower chassis 60. At the same time, a tape loading means (not shown) loads the magnetic tape 24 to the rotating drum, thereby making it possible to carry out a reproducing operation for the magnetic tape 24.
After the completion of such a reproducing operation, if the user opens up the eject lever 10 of FIG. 1 from the lower chassis 60, the upper chassis 30 ascends from the lower chassis 60, such ascending being carried out by the links 61 and 62 and the elastic member 65.
In case that the upper chassis 30 rises from the lower chassis 60 by being separated, the magnetic tape 24 which has been loaded on the rotating drum 36 is automatically wound by a tape unloading means (not shown).
Thus when the upper chassis 30 has been completely risen from the lower chassis 60, the magnetic tape 24 is maintained in the state shown in FIG. 2B.
Thereafter, if the user pulls the slider to separate the upper chassis 30 with the rotating drum 36 installed thereon, the slider 40 is made to elastically move in the horizontal direction by a slider moving mechanism (not shown), with the result that the upper chassis 30 and the slider 40 are maintained in a state shown in FIG. 2A.
However, in such a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, after the completion of the reproducing operation, in the case where the slider 40 reversely moves from the upper chassis 30 after the upper chassis 30 moves from the lower chassis 60, the magnetic tape 24 is extended as much as closely contacted to the rotating drum 36 as shown in FIG. 2C. Therefore, during the ejecting of the tape cassette, the extended portion of the magnetic tape 24 can be entangled to the lead 22 or to the various components of the deck, thereby damaging the magnetic tape.